Bridgeport's Pleasure Beach To Reopen For Season

For a second summer, a free water taxi will take visitors to Bridgeport's Pleasure Beach

BRIDGEPORT (AP) — The Pleasure Beach barrier island park off Bridgeport will be opening for the Memorial Day weekend with a new attraction.

Mayor Bill Finch and other officials unveiled a new historic walking tour on Sunday that will showcase highlights of the island's history as an entertainment center.

Some events that will be chronicled include visits by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, performances by Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra, and a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Bridgeport Orators.

Bridgeport has owned the island since 1892, and it once had an amusement park and ballroom. The amusement park went out of business in 1966 and a bridge to the island burned in 1996.

Last year, the city restored summer access by water taxi for the first time in almost 20 years, and Finch said more than 25,000 visitors came.

"This year, we expect even more people to come to Pleasure Beach and enjoy the beauties of nature, enjoy the swimming in Long Island Sound, enjoy the historic walking tour, and having a great time with your families," the mayor said.

The free water taxi will be running on weekends in May, and seven days a week beginning in June.